Star Trek: XJ9
by Howard Hugheson
Summary: A robot from our past comes to save our future. Voyager, a satellite shot in to space to contact alien life returns to earth sentient, and hostile. Jenny Wakeman is with the crew of the USS Enterprise when she picks a transmission, from her mother.


She smiled gently down at her mother who was laying on her bed, just an inch from death.

"Mom," she said gently, placing her robotic hand on the old woman's face.

The old woman smiled gently up at her creation, the robot. "Death is all a part…. Part of the human condition, XJ9," she said, weakly. "I'm….. sorry, I didn't teach you that. I gave…. Gave you emotions, but the basics I forgot to program."

"Mom," she said, and indeed, if she could weep, she would. The blue robot leaned down and hugged her very gently, which did no harm to her human mother.

A gentle hand was placed on the robot's arm. "Jenny," the man said, the man wearing the three piece suit.

The robot looked down at her dying mother. "Mom," she said gently. "Mom, please know…. I'm doing this more for you than for humanity. You are the closest to humanity I've ever come to."

She smiled. "I know dear," she said weakly. "I…. I love you."

Jenny, as the robot was named, hugged her gently once more. "I love you too, mom," she said weakly, a peculiar emotion for such a robot to love and to mourn. "I love you too mom."

Slowly, she stood as she looked at the man with the red hair. "Brad, I know where to go. I know what to do, how to turn myself off, how to hide until humanity needs me. Please, stay here, with mom?"

Brad Carbunkle bit his lower lip, holding back the tears, but some slipped. Even with his high status with the government, he couldn't help them. Brad was, after all, human, as Jenny was so close to being. Slowly, he nodded, then hugged the robot, who had not aged, was still a teenaged robot.

Jenny closed her eyes, and hugged brad back. Slowly the embrace parted, and Jenny nodded. "Goodbye," is all she could say.

"Goodbye Jenny," is all Brad could respond with.

Quickly, she ran out the door of the house, flying off in to the evening sky, Brad and her mother watching her leave. Gently, Brad held the hand of Dr. Wakeman.

PART I: ENTERPRISING YOUNG WOMAN

200 years later…..

She sat nervously in her chair, a crew of cadets from Starfleet Academy sitting about her at their various posts. Slowly, she cleared her throat. Jenny had never worn human clothes before, but she accepted the yellow shirt bearing Starfleet's logo, giving her the command of Captain, or other commandership.

"There's distress call," a woman said…. "Captain, the distress call is coming from within the Klingon neutral zone. If we go in there it will be a direct violation of all Starfleet-Klingon treaty protocol…."

"I know what it'd mean," she snapped, glaring at the screen in front of her. Though she was a robot, she was programmed with all human emotions, including concern for people who needed help. Rationing and decision making were all a part of her human emotions programmed in to her, including learning. This experience, if nothing else, will teach her something about what it means to be in control of a machine that didn't have feelings or emotions, did not have human behavior, only did what it was told to do, regardless if that meant potentially starting a war to save lives. "Go to yellow alert, we're going in after them," she said, bracing her hands on the armrests of her chair.

"Captain," said a nearby Vulcan, wearing black pants and blue shirt, the blue making him a science officer, "might I remind you that entering the neutral zone could potentially cause mass amount of aggression between us and the Klingons? I might also have to advise…."

"I don't care," she snapped. "Those people will die if we don't go in there and get them!"

"Captain," the Vulcan said, "if we go to war, others will surely die. You must take in consideration logic. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Jenny sat for a moment. This type of responsibility was something her mother never taught her. Even if she was almost 300 years this Vulcan's senior, she had been shut down until recently, when she was turned back on, and she was still programmed to be what she was – a teenager.

"We will have to take our chances," she said, "and if an explanation is needed to the Klingons and Starfleet, one will be given. Take us in."

Without any more interruption or dispute, the starship XJ9 – Jenny – was now the captain of began its' course in to the neutral zone.

"Now entering the neutral zone," said a nearby ensign. "Yellow alert on standby."

"Captain," the woman who originally reported the distress call said, "our frequency has been jammed."

"CAPTAIN!" yelled the ensign, "Captain, enemy ships approaching. Three Klingon Warbirds decloaking, locking torpedos!"

Jenny now panicked. She glanced at the Vulcan, then to the Warbirds on the screen. "Shields!" she shouted. "Go to red alert, ready phasers!"

The ship then shook from the impact of a torpedo from the one Warbird, then a second from another. All three began a massive attack. Explosions all over the bridge where she was located began throwing sparks everywhere. Half the bridge crew were dead, or dying, including the Vulcan.

Jenny punched a button on her chair's armrest, obviously distressed. "Engineering, damage report!" she shouted.

"Engines…. .. much longer .. breach any ..", and then the noise was off.

There she was, XJ9, Jenny, the robot, the last of the crew as she could figure, about to die.

That's when the doors opened, and the people who were her crew in the simulation stood up, shaking themselves off. The Vulcan stood, straightening out his uniform. Standing in the doorway was a man, wearing an all-black suit with the Starfleet insignia on his collar. "You failed," he said directly to the robot.

The Vulcan did not react.

Jenny stood up, still frowning, now pointing at the screen. "How am I, you, or anyone suppose to win that? It's one tiny Starfleet ship against three Warbirds! It can't be done, Captain, you know that!"

The man smirked. "I did," he said.

"I have no idea how," she said, almost in tears if she could cry. "The only way I could figure is to change the simulator code to force the Warbirds to lower their shields!"

The Vulcan raised a brow at this, but stood by, saying nothing.

The captain raised his arms and stepped forward. "Cadet Jenny," he said, lowering arms then sighing, "it's a simple test of basic emotions which all cadets go through before becoming officers. I wouldn't necessarily say the Kobayashi Maru test is a test, but perhaps more of a learning experience."

Now Jenny seemed to calm down a bit. "A learning experience?" she asked.

Slowly, smiling, the man nodded. "If you are to go on board a Starship, Cadet Jenny, you must be able to maintain all of your emotional functions when in the face of certain death. Even though you're an android…."

"Robot," interrupted, but then said quietly, "sir."

The man nodded. "Sorry, a robot, you were programmed with human emotions. Since, after we turned you on and you requested to remain on, then requested to join Starfleet, this simulation became a part of that series of studies you had to go through. Remember, everyone goes through this simulation. No one has ever passed."

"Except one," said an unemotional voice.

The captain sighed. "Please ignore Commander Spock, he's only angry because he was the one who developed the test to begin with and I passed it."

Jenny smiled, then nodded. "Aye Captain Kirk."

Kirk smiled, now looking back to Jenny. "Well then Cadet Jenny, the rest of the night you have off, you have completed your studies, and tomorrow, after ceremonies, I expect you to report back to the USS Enterprise as Ensign Jenny."

Jenny smiled. "Aye sir!"

The runabout slowly moved towards the spacedock, with Jenny and Mr. Scott on board. "So, who's going to show me around," she said excitedly. "Is it gonna be someone who I can be BFF's with? Or maybe a hot guy?"

"BFF?" Scotty asked, slowly turning to the girl with an awkward expression on his face. "What in bloody 'ell is that? Short for beef? Dunny why ya'd be friend with a cow lass. As fer young, aye well, he ain't old, but he ain't hot either so don't get yer hopes up."

She frowned as the runabout slowly docked with the Enterprise. "'ere we are, and 'ere's yer tour guide."

The man was standing there in a blue uniform, bags under his eyes, looking around the small ship whose doors had just opened. "Where's the patient?" he asked. Then upon seeing Jenny, he asked, "And what in hell is that?"

Scotty just smiled. "That, Dr. McCoy, is our newest recruit. Aye, she ain't human or any other species, she be a robot, and orders from both Admiral Pike and Captain Kirk is that ya treat her with the upmost respect."

McCoy stood still for a moment. "What in blazes…. I have a sickbay full of patients, I don't have time for this!"

Jenny frowned, and offered, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm sure I could find my own way…."

"Be quiet," McCoy snapped, "this has nothing to do with you." Then he walked over to a panel, almost hitting the button on it. "McCoy to Kirk."

A pleasant-sounding voice responded. "Yes Doctor?"

"Jim, this had better be a joke. I don't have time to play tour guide, I have a sickbay to run, a sickbay full of…."

"Bones," replied the voice of Kirk, "you are one of my most trusted advisers, and I wouldn't trust just anyone to give a tour of the ship to the first robot in Starfleet. Besides, we're equipped with plenty of nursing staff, I'm sure they can handle it."

McCoy looked like he was about to punch the wall Kirk's voice was coming through, but instead he calmed down. "I wouldn't do this for just anyone, including Pike. McCoy out." Then he did punch the wall. "This way," he called out as he started walking down the hallway.

Scotty smiled and waved. "Good luck lasse, no worries he won't bite, just growls," he called out.

"Shut up Scotty or I'll bite you," he snarled as Jenny waved to Scotty, following McCoy.

PART 2: MOM CONTACTS

"May I have your attention please," a voice, sounding Russian to Jenny, said on some loudspeaker she couldn't see anywhere in the hall. McCoy, or 'Bones' as he had been known, stopped walking. "What is it this time?" he asked, but asked it slowly, as if cautious.

"A large-scale cloud-like formation has been reported to headed towards our path. It has been reported that a Klingon armada has been destroyed when it came in to close proximity to the entity. As we are the United Federation closest ship to it, are mission is to locate it and observe it from as far a distance as possible."

"What the hell….?" Bones slowly asked.

"The only transmission we received from the Klingon armada is that the entity continued to ask for…." and then there was a pause, and Jenny slowly looked at McCoy nervously, McCoy not looking back. "It, in English, Earth English, continued to transmit multiple messages stating its' name was Verger, and it was looking for its' creator. If anyone should have any information regarding this, we ask that you come to the bridge immediately. In the meantime, we will be on yellow alert, shields ready. That is all."

"Verger?" McCoy asked slowly. "English? It was saying that to a KLINGON armada…. in English?"

Jenny remained silent, looking up at him, as if waiting for further instructions.

Slowly, McCoy looked down at her. "Ummm…. I don't know what to do with you so just, come with me and be quiet."

Jenny nodded. "Aye sir."

Bones started running, and Jenny ran after him, dodging crew members along the way, following corridors until finally reaching what Jenny thought looked like an elevator. Bones stepped in it, and so did she.

"Bridge!" he almost shouted, and the doors closed. A moment went by, and the doors opened again, revealing to Jenny what she already knew to be the bridge of the Enterprise. She didn't have much reaction time, but she nervously stepped on the bridge, Bones heading straight for Kirk who turned in his chair, glanced at Jenny, then looked to Bones. "Bones, I see you've brought your guest."

"Don't give me that," he snarled. "What is this? Some kind of joke? A cloud thing floating in space, destroys a Klingon armada, it's not one of ours but apparently only speaks Earth English, human English? Don't you dare sit there straight faced and tell me you don't know what this is."

Spock raised a brow which Jenny noticed, and forced Jenny not to crack a smile.

"It is curious indeed, doctor," Spock said, walking forward, "but we have no idea what it is. There are no historical logs making any mention of its' creation, or creator." Then he looked to Jenny. "Ensign, with your historic knowledge, do you have any recollection of such a creation?"

Now everyone on the bridge turned their attention to Jenny, who looked a bit nervous. "Um… no, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry."

Bones, looking a bit irritable, asked, "Are you damn sure?"

Jenny's eyes widen at the aggressiveness of McCoy, but before she said anything, Spock said, "Doctor, she is an android, and with a mind like hers, she does not make mistakes."

That seemed to calm Jenny down. "Bones," Kirk said, turning his chair back to the large screen in front of everyone, "all we know is what was just announced, and that the entity is moving."

"Moving?" McCoy asked. "Moving where?"

Kirk turned his head toward McCoy. "From the looks of it," he said, almost hesitantly, "earth."

"Jenny," a voice said, by the sound of it female.

"Um, yes?" she asked, surprised no one addressed her as Ensign.

Kirk blinked, looked over to her. "I'm sorry, Ensign?"

Jenny blinked. "Someone just said my name," she said slowly.

Kirk looked first to Spock, then to McCoy, then back to Jenny. "No we didn't Ensign," he said.

"Must be some technical malfunction," muttered McCoy. "That's what you get when you hire a robot. I'll take her down to engineering."

Spock then stepped forward. "Dr. McCoy," he said, "the XJ series was established by Dr. Wakeman from the year 2004. Any invention put to use by Dr. Wakeman, including the beginnings of a warp core which was later used by Dr. Cochrane to develop the first warp core drive, was a success. She did not fail in any of her endeavors, which many are still in use today. For Ensign Wakeman to have any flaws would be illogical."

Both Jenny and Bones both looked slowly towards Spock.

"What are you saying Spock?" Kirk asked.

Spock looked to Kirk. "Captain, considering this entity's appearance, our proximity to it, and the fact that Ensign Wakeman heard a voice say her name specifically, it would be logical to state that Verger is trying to establish communications with Ensign Wakeman directly. Somehow, the entity knows of her."

"Are you trying to say that Wakeman invented a giant cloud that could destroy anything in its' path over 250 years ago, kept it secret, and now it's returned to have a chat with Ensign Jenny here?" asked Bones, now visibly irritated.

"Dr. McCoy," Spock said, a little slower now, "Ensign Wakeman is no ordinary machine. She can hardly be called a machine at all. She has been the closest thing to human mankind has ever developed. Ensign Wakeman," he said, now looking to her, "with your permission, I would like you to report to engineering, to be monitored, in case any other like communications are received by you again, and not by us."

Jenny nodded. "O-of course," she said, now visibly worried.

Spock, never known to offer comfort, said simply to her, "Ensign Wakeman, I know of the feelings you must have now. Fear of the unknown. Being a Vulcan and having purged all emotion, it is an emotion that I do not share, which is what makes you so valuable to humanity and why Starfleet has made you a part of humanity itself. Though not human, you can hardly be called a machine. As we are various species in Starfleet, you are, indeed, one of us. It would be unheard of for us to allow any harm to come to you, just as it would be unheard of for us to allow harm to come to any officer in Starfleet."

Jenny nodded slowly, now smiling gently to Spock. "Thank you, Commander."

Spock raised a brow. "What I said is hardly anything worth thanking, Ensign. I am merely stating a fact."

Kirk nodded, turned in his chair, and looked at Jenny, and pressed a button on his chair counsel. "Mr. Scott."

The Scottish man Jenny was already familiar with answered through a speaker. "Aye sir?"

"Ensign Wakeman heard a voice that no one else did. It simply stated her name. My orders are that she is to report to engineering for complete evaluation and monitoring. If this is to happen again in any manner, if a voice says anything, if any type of communications should come through to her, it is to be reported directly to the bridge immediately and without hesitation. Is this understood?"

"Yes sir," both Jenny and Scotty said, almost at the same time.

Slowly Kirk nodded. "In the meantime, we will continue our course toward the entity. Bones, you're allowed to return to your duties in sickbay."

Bones, without a glance, simply turned and walked off. "Well thank you Captain," he said.

Jenny nodded, and followed Bones.

Once the both were gone, Kirk looked towards Spock, not having to ask for confirmation on his theory.

"Captain, Ensign Wakeman has been powered for nearly 5 years now, in Starfleet academy, and not once has she had a similar occurrence as she did just now. The only logical explanation is Verger's attempt to communicate with her."

Kirk nodded slowly. "Agreed," he said, his voice soft, almost unsure, or at least not as confident as Spock's.

2 hours later…..

Jenny just sat there on a platform, hugging her knees, staring forward, not sure what to do as the rest of the engineering crew went about their business, looking over everything. Hours had gone by and so far, nothing. Scotty had been around to check up on her and Kirk had called in to Engineering several times to check also.

Then she closed her eyes, and that's when it happened.

The room was white, completely white, ceiling, floors, everything. There was no door, no windows. The only other person there was her mother. Jenny's eyes widened, and she ran over to her, grabbing her in a hug which her mother returned. "XJ9," Dr. Wakeman said, "how long it's been."

"Mom," she said gently, still holding on to her before finally letting her go. "Mom, was that….?"

Wakeman smirked. "My voice, on the bridge? Indeed it was."

"Mom," Jenny said slowly, shaking her head, "what's going on? What's this thing that's heading towards earth? This…. this Verger?"

Slowly, Wakeman nodded. "That's why I'm here, Jenny. When we built it, each of us put in a chip containing our DNA. Essentially, we placed ourselves into it, in case any of us ever needed to make contact with any other life form. Jenny, it's a satellite. And it's not called Verger, it just thinks it's called that because that's what the others saw. The others who sent it back to this universe."

Jenny slowly shook her head. "Mom, how…. How were you able to form a satellite within a giant cloud without anyone noticing?"

Wakeman shook her head. "We didn't," she said. "The others, the ones who found it, put it in that cloud, and made it alive, somewhat like you. Its' original goal was to collect data and make contact with a new species should it find one. It did both." Wakeman turned her head slightly. "It's close enough to this ship that I can actually talk to you. If it thinks you're a threat, and not its' creator, it will destroy the ship, and if it thinks the same of Earth, or any other planet, it will destroy them too."

"But mom," she said, "if you can communicate with me, can't you do the same with it? Explain the situation?"

"Like I said Jenny," she said, "it now has a mind of its' own, and it's completing the mission we sent it out to do. Its' original name…. was Voyager. We sent it out there to gather as much information about the universe as it could, to communicate with other life forms if there were any. It's returning to Earth, to look for its' creator so it can complete the mission, to give that information to it. The only problem is, it doesn't believe that humans created it, since they're such a far inferior life form. It will kill every human in order to try to find the supposed creator."

Jenny's eyes widened at that. "It'll….. destroy earth?"

Slowly, Wakeman nodded.

"How can we stop it?" asked Jenny. "How can we convince it that humans created it?"

Wakeman was silent for a moment. "I," she said, an almost helpless look crossing her face as she looked back to Jenny, "I don't know."

An hour later….

"It's alive?" asked Kirk.

Jenny nodded slowly.

"Verger," said Spock, raising a brow. "Captain, Ensign Wakeman's story is not inconclusive. Her logic is sound. Indeed, earth did send Voyager in to space, and the Ensign herself proves that machines can be sentient."

Jenny smiled slightly at that.

Kirk looked back to Jenny. "Is there any way to make contact with it?" he asked.

"I don't know sir," she replied. "I'm not 100% sure about what it can and can't do. I was able to interact with my mom, whose DNA was merged in to the machine, and that's all I know."

Kirk asked, "And there's no way she can communicate with it?"

Jenny shook her head. "Since she's a human, it finds her inferior too, just like the rest of….." then she frowned, not knowing what to say. "….um…. you. I hope no offense is taken sir, I'm only repeating information."

Spock spoke for Kirk. "Ensign, for us to take offense at your repeating information would be illogical."

Kirk nodded, not too concerned with any offense in the conversation. "Alright," he said, turning in his chair. "Mr. Sulu, set course to intercept Verger, or Voyager or whatever it is. Warp 5. When close to the object I want a yellow alert."

Sulu nodded, pressing some controls. "Aye sir," he said as he pressed forward a control, and the ship went in to warp.

Bones stepped forward, a not-too-happy look on his face. "Jim," he said, "are you out of your mind?"

Kirk looked up at Bones for a brief moment, then back to the screen. "Bones," he said, "if it's coming to earth to bring an end to the earth as we know it, and we have on board our ship the only means to protect us from this thing…."

"Thing?" asked Bones. "You don't completely understand it and suddenly it becomes a thing?" Bones walked up next to the Captain's Chair. "For all we know, it's alive. It's alive and its' searching for something it won't find and is going to blast us and anything that gets in its' way out of the water."

Kirk looked up again at Bones. "Dr. McCoy, Earth is our first priority. It's the protection of Starfleet. Now, indeed, our mission is a strange one but be that as it may, we have an obligation to protect Starfleet, do we not?"

Bones slowly nods. "I….. yes, I suppose."

Kirk slowly rubbed his jaw in silent concentration. "If we go in with shields on full, it'll view us as hostile, it'll take us out immediately."

"Going in on yellow alert may also be illogical," Spock said, ignoring the conversation up until now. "If we approach under any such emergency conditions, it may react with like manner."

Kirk nodded to Spock. "Yellow alert off," he said.

Bones watched as the bridge went down to normal mode. "I don't like this Jim," he said slowly, "I don't like this one bit, but…."

Kirk nodded slowly. "But what other choice is there?" he asked.

Bones looked down at him, then back to the screen.

"We have approximately 9.2 hours before reaching the craft sir," Sulu said.

Kirk nodded, standing. "Ms. Uhura, contact Starfleet, tell them everything we just discussed."

"Aye sir," she said, beginning to program in a message to be sent.

"Uhura," Kirk said, now a little nervously.

Uhura slowly looked up from her post.

"Uhura, tell them," Kirk started, then almost had to search for words. "Tell them….. if they send in any ships, the mission will be a failure and Starfleet itself may be jeopardized. Make it known. We are not to be followed by any other vessel."

Uhura, realizing the seriousness of the command, slowly nodded. "I'll um….. I'll let them know sir. Enterprise is alone on this mission."

Everyone, Kirk included, was silent for a moment. Going solo wasn't normally so bad. Going solo against a giant machine-creature that was unstoppable?

Kirk looked at Bones, then Spock. Bones stood there, both a questioning and nervous look on his face. Spock simply stood there with an unemotional look, one brow perched up.

"Spock, Bones," he said gently, "meet me in the conference room." Then he noticed Jenny, standing silently to the side. "Ensign Jenny," he said, "you as well."

PART 3: A FRIENDSHIP DESTINED

They sat alone now, the three of them. They briefed Jenny of the information they knew about the project, and Jenny briefed them on the information she knew concerning her mother. Kirk had then ordered Jenny to return to engineering and await orders.

"This could be a suicide mission Jim," said Bones, leaning forward. "And you know it."

"Dr. McCoy, the last time the Captain made the decision to go forward and stop a seemingly undefeatable enemy without the rest of Starfleet, may I remind you of the results?"

Kirk smirked. "Thanks for the support, Spock."

Spock now looked at Kirk. "I am merely stating a fact, Captain. I must agree with you. We have to move forward."

Kirk sighed, standing up and folding his arms behind his back, walking over to a nearby window. "We can't fight it," Kirk said.

Bones once more leaned back in his chair. "Then what do you suppose we do?" he asked. "Talk to it? Try to calm it down, try to tell it that WE made it?"

Kirk, without turning, said, "Exactly my plan."

Spock raised a brow.

Bones almost laughed. "You're kidding," he said. "You heard the Ensign, her mother, or creator, or whatever you want to call her is a part of the thing, and not even she can convince it that humans didn't create it."

Kirk turned to look at Bones, smiling now. "Exactly. Jenny's mom is a part of Verger, melded in to it. Verger, since leaving Earth as a simple satellite, hasn't ever seen a human….. shall we say, face-to-face."

Spock nodded, turning to Bones. "The Captain's reasoning is logical. Verger, since becoming sentient, has yet to see a human, and therefore does not know what one is."

Bones looked to Spock. "Keep your logic out of this," he said in a snarl, then looked back to Kirk. "Jim, quite frankly, I don't want to die. I think I can speak for the rest of the crew when I say they'd agree with me."

Kirk's smile was gone now. "Bones, the Earth's population, along with who knows how many other planets' don't want to die either. What we know is this: Dr. Wakeman is the closest thing to a human that Verger knows. Dr. Wakeman was a part of the original team that designed the original Voyager and launched it."

Bones' eyes widened and he said, "Then if it won't trust her how do you know it'll trust us?"

Kirk walked over to his chair. "I don't," he said. "It's a gamble, but it's the only chance we have. This isn't a mission of war, Bones. It's a mission of diplomacy. Unfortunately for us, if the thing we're trying to be diplomatic with doesn't like us," and then he shrugged, "we get blown up."

Bones glanced at Spock then looked to Kirk. "Alright then," he said, standing. "If you'll excuse me Jim, I'm going to get Sick Bay ready. For what, who the hell knows, but, hey at least I can do something." Without a smile, he left the room.

Kirk sighed, looking back to Spock. "Even if we had all of Starfleet with us on this, this….. giant cloud of death would be no match."

Spock nodded. "I agree with you, Captain," he said. "With Nero's ship there may have been a chance. With this entity, there is none. My advice would be exactly as you have ordered. Try to be as diplomatic as possible. Show it that we are not a threat, and then attempt to establish communications. Obviously Ensign Wakeman may assist us in that matter, or we may hail it. Whichever is decided upon, this may very well be the most important mission of diplomacy Starfleet has had yet." Spock's impression remained unemotional, though what he just said was true.

Kirk nodded. "Why is it this ship that always has to be the one to save Starfleet?" he asks with a smirk.

Spock, not revealing any emotion, said simply, "If it were any other, I'm sure it would do the same."

Kirk nodded. "Remind me not to enlist another android on this ship's crew," he said.

Spock, having no comment on that matter, simply nodded. "Captain," he began, but Kirk interrupted him.

"Jim," he says, looking up to Spock. "Spock, you can call me Jim. You've been the second in command on board for some time now. We know each other, I think. I'm more comfortable with a first-name-basis kinda conversation."

Spock raised a brow at this, but nodded. "Jim," he said. "I'm not entirely convinced that Verger can not make direct contact with Dr. Wakeman. If, indeed, it is looking for its' creator, she is it, and Ensign Jennifer Wakeman could, with high probability, be the key to having Dr. Wakeman making contact with Verger."

Kirk nods. "I agree with you, Spock, but, if the doctor who created it doesn't know, and neither does the robot who was also created by Dr. Wakeman, who was considered to be Dr. Wakeman's only child as the two were so close, or so the history says and certainly Jenny's response seems to indicate, then we're in trouble. Scotty," he laughed lightly, "Scotty's a good technician, but…."

There was a pause in the room, as if both knew what the other was thinking. "With the limitless resources available to us," Spock said, finally breaking the silence, "it is very difficult to comprehend the earth's destruction from a simple communications satellite originally programmed years ago."

Kirk looked at Spock, then out a window in to the galaxy. "It was difficult for all of us to imagine that a simple mining ship from the future could destroy Vulcan, and almost Earth."

Spock looked to Kirk. "Agreed," he said. "I remember that day. I remembered your tactics to take the command from me."

Kirk slowly looked back to Spock. "Spock, I never did get a chance to….."

Spock held up a hand. "Jim," he said, placing it back down, "you did what you had to do in order to correct any further mistakes that neither you or I could have been aware of, had it not have been for my future self's informing you of what to do, and how to do it. Spock, of the future, told me that we would have a friendship. The idea, before that, had never come to mind."

Kirk smiled a bit at that. "Now?" he asked.

"Now," said Spock, "the idea seems more real than probable, Jim. It almost seemed as if everything was destined to take place."

Kirk nods. "I'll second that idea," he says, hardly able to speak, the idea being something that had been heavily weighed on his mind since taking command of the Enterprise. That could wait. Slowly, Kirk looked to Spock. "I'm very appreciative to have you as second officer."

Spock raised a brow. "I am simply performing my duties to Starfleet to the best of my ability, Jim."

Kirk smiled. "So that's why you haven't hesitated to call me Jim yet, huh?"

Spock raised a brow at that.

Kirk only smiled, then walked up next to him, patting his shoulder. "We're wanted on the bridge," he said, walking by the Vulcan who was once his enemy, now one of his closest companions.

Spock nodded. "Aye sir," he said quickly, and then, "Jim?"

Kirk stopped, looking to Spock.

Without a hint of emotion, but with all the sincerity, Spock said, "I am, and will always be, your friend."

Kirk nodded slowly. "Thank you," he said, then both of them headed out.

PART 4: VERGER

Jenny sat, staring at a computer image of her mother, and a list of things she had done prior to building Jenny. "Lass," said Scotty, walking up to her, rubbing an eye. "What do ya expect to find here, looking at this old profile? She was yer mom, for pitty's sake, you knew what she did and how she did, ins and outs."

"Yeah, up to the point when I was made," she said. "Before that though I only know some stuff. She never told me she worked on any satellite, or the beginnings of the warp core, or anything like that. Mostly she was too busy keeping an eye on the planet, and I was too busy keeping it out of danger. We hardly talked about anything that happened in her past. She was always moving forward to the next thing she was working on."

Scotty smiled, and nodded. "Aye, that's what a good engineer does. Always looks forward to the future."

Jenny shook her head slowly. "She had this weird habit of telling people she could get something done in like, a lot longer than it was necessary. Like, she'd tell people she'd have something done in 4 hours when she could get it done in 2."

Scotty chuckles heavily. "Oh aye, that," he says, "aye, that yer mom invented for us engineers also. I followed that example when I read about her in history of Starfleet engineering. Ya tell that Captain it's gonna take ya five hours to repair something, when it only takes ya three. Aye, always wins ya good points, it does."

Jenny giggled, smiling back down at the picture of her mom. "That's my mom alright," she said.

Then a voice transmitted over the room, a Russian voice. "Ensign Wakeman to the bridge," it announced.

Jenny stood up nervously. "That'd be me," she said in a nervous voice.

Scotty only smiled. "Never mind the worry lass, you'll do fine," he said.

Jenny smiled at him, then rushed out.

Jenny walked slowly on to the bridge. Kirk sat in his chair, Spock standing next to him, McCoy off to the side looking confused at the screen. "All weapons down, Mr. Checkov," Kirk said.

"Aye Captain," a man sitting at a station nearby said as he pushed several buttons Jenny assumed was the weapons control.

"Ms. Uhura, open communications," Kirk said.

A woman nearby with a communication device in her ear pressed several buttons, then said, "Aye Captain."

Jenny stared at the screen in front of her. There it was, a huge cloud in space, the inside of it lit up, so large that it hardly looked as if it was moving at all.

The bridge remained silent, and that's when it hit Jenny. The voice of her mother. "Jenny," said Dr. Wakeman, though she was no where to be seen on the bridge.

"Mom?" asked Jenny, and everyone on the bridge turned to look at her.

"XJ9, they cannot hear me," said Dr. Wakeman. "Make sure they keep their weapons down so Verger does not view them as a threat, no matter what happens.

The cloud slowly began to grow a glowing patch in it, and Checkhov, having looked back to the screen, yelled, "Captain, it looks like it's about to fire!"

Kirk looked to the screen, seeing the same thing Checkov was seeing. "Mr. Checkov, raise…."

"NO!" Jenny shouted before Kirk could finish his order. "No, Mr. Checkov, don't! If you raise weapons or shields, it's gonna view us as a threat!"

"XJ9, tell them Verger's testing the waters, making sure the Enterprise doesn't do anything," said Dr. Wakeman.

"Captain," said Jenny, "it's just testing out the waters, it just wants to make sure we don't do anything."

Kirk, looking a bit confused, asked, "Ensign Wakeman, how do you know this?"

"My mom," she said, looking to Kirk. "I can hear her."

Kirk looked to Spock, who looked to him. "Intriguing," said the Vulcan, looking back to Jenny. "Ensign Wakeman, would you please ask Dr. Wakeman if there is any means by which we may establish communications with Verger?"

"Tell him I figured it out," said the doctor.

"She figured it out!" Jenny called out excitedly.

Kirk and Spock looked at each other, then back to the robot. "How?" asked Kirk.

"Alright, this part is a bit complicated," explained Dr. Wakeman to Jenny. "It will not acknowledge your hailing. That made it nervous but when the hailing didn't do anything except send out signals, Verger didn't act. I'm afraid the only way to make pure contact with Verger is to get in to the cloud physically, to make contact with the machine in person."

Jenny frowned. "How?" she asked.

"How what?" Kirk asked, but Spock placed his hand on the Captain's shoulder, stopping him.

"Take a shuttle craft," answered Dr. Wakeman. "Take it in to the cloud. Verger will not fire at out if you don't aim anything at it. Come in, unarmed, and Verger will guide it the rest of the way. I must go now XJ9, I will see you soon dear."

"Mom?" Jenny asked anxiously, then almost screamed, "Mom?"

The crew silently stared at her as she waited for a response, but when she didn't receive any, she placed her hands over her face crying. No real tears left her eyes, but the emotion was all the same.

Kirk looked at Bones, who didn't let his eyes leave the robot. Kirk looked at Jenny. "Ensign Wakeman?" he asked, his voice almost gentle.

"Shuttle craft," she said. "Mom told me to take it in to the cloud. If we keep the weapons down, it won't fire on us. It can only communicate us if we're actually there." Then she looked to Kirk. "Captain," she said, "I can go in there alone, I have boosters and can enter the cloud without the need of anyone else being in danger."

Kirk shook his head. "Negative Ensign," he said, standing up. "We're still not sure what it is we're up against, and I will not allow any of my officers to just fly in there alone. We're coming with you." Then he looked to Spock, and Spock nodded.

"I'm coming too," said Bones, stepping forward. "Someone could need a doctor, or something."

Kirk smirked at Bones, then at Jenny. Then he nodded. "Alright Jenny," he said, "let's go."

The shuttle craft slowly approached the cloud, the four of them sitting with curiosity, except for Spock. "We are now entering the perimeter," Spock announced, and the view of space vanished in a white fog, surrounding the craft. The all stared forward, Jenny with anxiety. She wanted desperately to see her mom again, but would not pay a cost to do it, especially the lives of her senior officers. Whatever would happen, it would now happen, regardless of her desires.

"Jim," Spock said slowly as they suddenly came out of the cloud, and back in to a clear space, except surrounding them was the cloud, and in front of them, the machine.

It was very large, and illuminated all of the interior of the cloud which hid it from view from the outside. The light illuminating from it was blue, somewhat pinkish or red in places. The shuttle craft seemed to drive itself now as it slowly came to a landing on the machine, now sentient, the craft landing as if following orders.

"Jim," said Bones, "have you ever seen anything like it?"

Kirk was speechless.

The doors to the shuttlecraft opened.

Bones, not a stranger to the knowledge of what could happen to someone if exposed to space, grabbed a hold of a nearby chair. All that he knew about those dangers, however, didn't happened.

"Intriguing," said Spock, who was the first to exit the craft. "It would seem that this containment field is set precisely for sentient life. Even the gravitational pull is precise with that of most planets which contain life."

Kirk nodded slowly as he walked out, looking around, then to the machine. Slowly, he walked up to it. Bones got out and looked to him. "Are you mad?" he asked.

Kirk ignored him as he walked up to a plaque with dust covering it, the letters visible spelling out 'VERGER'. Kirk wiped the dust away, and there it was: The name of the sentient machine was, indeed, Voyager.

Jenny slowly made her way out of the craft, gazing up at the machine. "Verger," she whispered. Then, as if knowing she were there, the machine lit a bright red, and bolts of electricity starting firing from it towards the four. Kirk almost ran but Jenny stopped by saying, "Don't, Captain, Verger's just worried that we're here, but doesn't acknowledge us as its' creator."

Kirk looked to Jenny hesitantly. "How do you know that?" he said, but didn't make a move.

Jenny smiled a bit. "The creator is who its' looking for, and its' just scared of anyone who isn't that," she said. "I know. Verger, I know you can hear me. I'm not the one who made you, but I'm her daughter. I'm your little sister."

Almost immediately the machine's red glow dimmed, and a blue light began to illuminate.

Kirk, Spock, and Bones all looked to the machine, then to Jenny.

"I'm sorry I didn't know what to say earlier, Verger," she said gently, walking up to it's control panel. "I can show you mom, but I have to have access to your mainframe. I won't hurt you, I promise. I just can't show you her because, she's already inside of you."

There was an awkward silence. All of them were quiet, and then without notice, something that startled Bones, the plate to the control panel opened.

Jenny continued to smile, and placed her hand up to it. Her hand mechanically replaced itself with prongs to be inserted in to ports on the control panel, which she did. Kirk, Spock and Bones looked on as Jenny closed her eyes. "Fascinating," Spock whispered as Jenny slowly began to glow. Slowly, her eyes closed.

Jenny was amazed to find herself sitting in her room, back at Dr. Wakeman's, where she had come from, and where she was born. "I'm…. home?" she asked, almost whispering, hardly able to speak. She looked around the poster-cluttered room, at the window, a pane in it replaced from where a baseball had crashed through it. She stopped herself from giggling at remembering Brad and Tuck, that first day she met them. Then the giggle almost became a cry. That was her life, and though they had all aged, including her mom, she didn't, and still she was a teenager. In this moment, however, she could be a teenager, and it was still ok.

Then the door opened, and in walked her mom, Nora Wakeman. Jenny was now crying as she stood up, ran over to her mom and hugged her. "Oh mom," she whispered.

Wakeman smiled and hugged Jenny back, patting her back gently. "It's alright XJ9," she said. "You're home."

They both walked through the familiar house Jenny knowing every corner, and happy to see it again. "None of this is real, is it mom?" she asked.

"XJ9," Dr. Wakeman said, "I'm surprised at you. This is just as real as you. I've spent my time here, in this reality. It may not be real to anyone outside of it, but in here, in Verger, or Voyager, it's real all right."

"Then what are we doing, mom?" she asked. "Why…. Did you bring me here?"

"Verger is watching us," she said. "It can now, because it's followed you here. It knows."

Jenny's eyes widened. "It does?" she asked. "Is it….. Is it ok with that? I mean, it's not going to attack the Enterprise?"

Dr. Wakeman smiled at her as they reached the door leading outside. "It wouldn't have allowed this if it wasn't," she said, and slowly, opened the door. Brad and Tuck stood there, talking to each other on a sidewalk, both their former selves, how they use to be. They looked up and smiled at Jenny, Brad waving. "Hey Jenny," he called, "what's up?"

Jenny gazed at him for a minute. "Brad," she whispered, then looked back to her mom. "They're…. young again, just like I remembered."

Dr. Wakeman continued to smile as she nodded. "I know dear," she said. "Everything is just how it was. Verger will be leaving momentarily, now that you've come, hooked yourself in to it, and let it meet me, its' creator. The thing is Jenny…." she paused, "if you disconnect, Verger will have no recollection of me. Without you as its' medium between myself and it, it cannot be aware of me."

Jenny looked now towards the sky. "But, what about the world?" she asked. "It still needs to be protected, and without me…."

"Jenny," said Dr. Wakeman, her hand gently holding Jenny's shoulder, "I made you originally to protect the planet. When you met friends, you became more and more human. You're just as human as I, and anyone else. I'm convinced, with what this future can do and is capable of, that the world is safe. This man, James Kirk, and his crew are capable of protecting it. You may now stay here with me. With us."

Jenny smiled again and hugged her mom, who hugged back, crying somewhat now. "Welcome home Jenny," she whispered.

Brad and Tuck ran across the street, and Brad asked, "Hey you guys, what's with the tears?"

Jenny smiled at Brad, and hugged both him and Tuck. "I'm just really happy to see you again," she said.

Brad chuckled lightly hugging back, Tuck hugging a little more hesitantly, and Brad said, "Well it's good to see you too Jen but it's nothing to get worked up over. We just saw you yesterday," he said. When the embrace was complete, he asked with a smirk, "So, got any plans to save the world, or wanna go to the mall?"

Jenny smiled at Dr. Wakeman, then at Brad and Tuck. "Let's go to the mall," she said. "I think the world's in good hands."

They all began to walk away from the house as Brad said, "Oh yeah, Sheldon called, he's there already. I think he sounds as excited to see you as you were to see us!"

Jenny giggled as they all walked off.

"Confirmed sir," said Chekov, turning to look to Kirk. "The cloud is gone sir, now heading back to its' original source."

Kirk, sitting in the chair on the bridge of the Enterprise, rubbed his chin. "That's peculiar," he whispered.

"Captain?" asked Spock, looking to him questioningly.

"Ensign Wakeman connects herself to Verger's mainframe, literally becomes a part of it, and then, it's like Verger got what it wanted out of that, though Jenny didn't create it."

Spock nodded. "That is accurate," he said, "but it is logical to state that if Dr. Wakeman was able to communicate with Jenny, she could communicate through Jenny."

Kirk looked to him. "Do you think she's….?"

Spock raised a brow. "Dead?" he asked. "That would be illogical. I believe that neither Dr. Wakeman would kill Jenny, or Jenny kill herself. Logically, Jenny is still alive, her own mainframe connected to Verger's. Beyond that, I cannot say, but from a personal perspective Captain, one would be satisfied in thinking that she is with her mother now."

Kirk nodded, looking to Bones. "Bones," he said, "report one MIA, not deceased. We'll include it in the report to Starfleet."

Bones nodded, smiling slightly. "I think Spock's right Jim," he said, not caring to call Kirk Jim on the bridge as much as Spock was. "I think she's alright." The doctor turned, walking out of the bridge.

Kirk smiled at Spock, who nodded slowly to Kirk.

Kirk looked forward to the screen. "Mr. Sulu," he said.

"Aye Captain," Sulu said, smiling lightly back at Kirk.

Kirk smiled back. "Head us back to Starfleet command, Warp 5."

"Aye sir," Sulu said, putting in the coordinates.

"I suppose," Spock said, "that Jenny Wakeman, before we, shall truly find the final frontier."

"I think she already has Spock," replied Kirk.

The Enterprise then went in to warp drive, heading home.

Jenny had a hard time explaining to Brad, Tuck, Sheldon and Dr. Wakeman what her experience in Starfleet was like. So, she made a simple explanation, and she said gently, "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before."

AFTERWORD

I came up with the idea of making a Star Trek / My Life as a Teenage Robot crossover with the idea that, while the Star Trek franchise was rebooting after years of silence in May 2009, the television series 'My Life as a Teenage Robot' was ending the same month.

I felt I could easily combine the two worlds together with giving recognition to the first Star Trek film where the Enterprise encounters a sentient Voyager satellite who went by the name Verger. It was a sad beginning with the death of Dr. Wakeman, but I think, as I think the reader will appreciate, it was a hopeful ending. Though Jenny's time on earth was finished, her eternity with her mom and friends was only beginning. It was a good ending to give the series, which (and again I was unaware of this when starting this project) has the same amount of seasons that the original Star Trek series had.


End file.
